Understanding the populist turn: a conversation with Frank Furedi

https://www.tttdebates.org/assets/Frank_SpikedImageThumb326.jpg326326Time To TalkTime To Talkhttps://www.tttdebates.org/assets/Frank_SpikedImageThumb326.jpg19/06/201802/08/2018

On Tuesday the 19th June, De Balie talked to the ex-Trotzkyist Frank Furedi about the political trajectory which has led to him expressing sympathy with Orbán and becoming an advocate of national identity in his latest work.

About the discussion:

Instead of trying to understand the voters of populist and nationalist parties, we often tend to dismiss them as racists, xenophobes and second-class citizens. In this discussion, De Balie will look to change perspectives through an in-depth discussion with the ex-sociology professor, Frank Furedi.

In his latest book, Populism and the European Culture Wars, Furedi defends the rights of the Hungarian and Polish people to be Christian, conservative and, above all, nationalist.

Furedi claims that the EU adopts a neo-colonial attitude towards Eastern European countries and imposes so-called European values on them. He states that this is a dangerous approach and that EU should avoid the imposition of, for example, refugee quotas on Hungary, as these will be counterproductive. For Furedi, we can only explain the current populist tendencies in Eastern Europe, by looking into the roots and history of the societies in which these tendencies have emerged.

Given his left-wing and irreligious background, what has made Furedi change his mind about how we should understand the current populist turn in Europe, in particular in Hungary and Poland? How do Furedi’s explanations for Hungary and Poland relate to the increase in populism in the rest of Europe? And, what does this tell us about our shared European values?

Participants:

Speaker:

Frank Furedi is a sociologist, author and social commentator, who grew up in Hungary and Canada before moving to England. Formerly, a professor of sociology at the University of Canterbury, Furedi has used his academic insights to produce a series of agenda-setting books that have been widely discussed in the media.

Furedi is a regular feature as a commentator on radio and television shows and has appeared on Newsnight, Sky News and BBC News. As well his extensive bibliography, Furedi also regularly publishes essays on a variety of issues. His latest book is entitled Populism and the European Culture Wars focuses particularly on the conflict between Hungary and the European Commission and critiques the outcry surrounding populism, seeing it as a sign of distrust in citizens’ ability to act responsibly.

Moderator:

Debate media:

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Location:

De Balie, 10 Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen, 1017 RR Amsterdam

Acknowledgements:

This debate is part of Time to Talk‘s Understanding the Populist Turn: The Ex-Debates series and has been supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundation Institute in cooperation with the OSIFE of the Open Society Foundations.

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